Wai Lin
Wai Lin (Chinese 林慧) is a fictional character in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh. Wai Lin received critical acclaim, widely regarded as one of the best female characters in the series. In the film Wai Lin is a spy for the Chinese People's External Security Force in the rank of colonel and a fierce warrior with incredible skill in martial arts. She first encounters Bond when she is sent (under the disguise as a Xinhua News Agency reporter) to investigate the disappearance of stealth material from a Chinese military base that is connected to media mogul Elliot Carver's plan to start a war between China and the United Kingdom. Wai Lin later learns that Bond was sent by MI-6 to work on the same case. The two initially believe they have been ordered to kill each other, but eventually develop a wary mutual trust when they are both captured and imprisoned by Carver's secret partner, General Chang (who was in charge of the military base where the stolen stealth materials for Carver's stealth boat originated from). Bond especially grows to respect her when she playfully, but firmly, rejects his attempts at seduction. Carver brings them both aboard his private ship to gloat that he will control the world's media after he gets exclusive coverage rights to the impending war, which will begin when the ship launches missiles at a British craft. At the last minute, however, Wai breaks free and creates a distraction that allows Bond to disable the missiles, kill Carver, and escape with her as the ship self-destructs. She and Bond then give in to the mutual attraction they had both been fighting during the mission, and become lovers. In other media In the film's novelziation by Raymond Benson, Wai Lin has an entire chapter devoted to introduce her character, detailing "her involvement with the Chinese People's External Security Force, her training, her skills, and many other facets of her life that made her a real person. Her relationship with Bond is also much more realistic."Tomorrow Never Dies Novelization @ Universal Exports, The Home of James Bond, 007 In the video game adaptation, she is both a playable (Mission 9: Market District, Saigon) and non-playable (Mission 10: Stealth Boat, Ha Long Bay) character.Tomorrow Never Dies (Video Game) – Characters – CommanderBond.net Reception In 2008, Fandomania ranked her as the second best Bond girl, stating that she was "the right type of Bond Girl at the right point in action cinema’s evolution."Tribute to 007 (Part One): The Top Ten Bond Girls | Fandomania In 2010, Entertainment Weekly ranked her as the seventh best Bond girl, calling this "savvy Chinese agent" one of the few "womenn of color to match wits with 007" and "the first one you could take seriously".The 10 Best Bond Girls | EW.com In 2011, MensXP.com also ranked her as the seventh top Bond girl of all time, who "took a Bond girl's hotness to a whole new level. Sexy and stern at the same time, this Bond girl almost outdid 007 in being a better fighter."Top 10 most fabulous Bond girls of all time Photos | Pictures - Yahoo! Lifestyle India In 2012, the International Business Times included Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin among the top ten "most stunning" Bond girls of all time.Top Ten Most Stunning Bond Girls of All Time - Entertainment & Stars LIFE named Wai Lin the 11th best Bond girl of all time.Idol Features: Asian Bond Girls She was also included on the list of the 20 best Bond girls by Virgin Media, who called her "an equal match for Bond",Wai Lin - Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - Best Bond girls - Pictures - Movies - Virgin Media and on a similar list by 3MMM.The Best Bond Girls Of All Time | Bad Medicine | Triple M Rope of Silicon ranked her as 20th in 2007, calling her "fantastic" and stating that Yeoh "will never be forgotten as a one-time Bond girl."BOND GIRLS TOP 40: GIRLS 11-20 | Rope of Silicon UGO.com commented, "In fact, Bond actually grows to respect the Chinese agent after she playfully but firmly spurns his romantic advances - one of the very few Bond Girls to pull that off!"Wai Lin - Best Bond Girls - UGO.com References External links *Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin) :: James Bond Girls :: MI6 *James Bond multimedia | Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin) Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1997 Category:Fictional Chinese people Category:Fictional colonels Category:Fictional martial artists Category:Fictional secret agents and spies Category:James Bond characters Category:Tomorrow Never Dies Category:Bond girls Category:Fictional assassins